


Breathing's Just a Rhythm

by ana (johneggmcmuffin)



Category: Dangan Ronpa, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Minor Injuries, Multi, Non-Despair AU, Swim Team AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-21
Updated: 2014-09-21
Packaged: 2018-02-18 05:34:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2337026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/johneggmcmuffin/pseuds/ana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Non-Despair AU!<br/>Hajime Hinata is a reserve course student. But he joins a swim team, anyway. Now, they've been preparing for months for this year's competition. However, after an incident, how will Hinata cope with the bad news? Will he find a sliver of talent inside of himself?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Breathing's Just a Rhythm

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you enjoy reading this fic! i've been planning it since this summer, and i've been waiting to write it! also, sorry for not focusing on many characters. they will appear soon!

Asahina looked up from her clipboard after marking the last name on her stack of papers.

“Alright, we have one more week before swimming regionals! Any last words before we begin training?”

It was a clear spring day. At least, that’s what it looked like through the windows of the Olympic-sized indoor pool. In this room was Hope’s Peak Academy’s swim team, ready and invigorated with one thing set on their minds.

“When we lose, can we go out for ice cream afterwards?” Souda asked.

The team manager, Asahina, groaned at the response. “We’re not going to lose, guys! We’ve practiced our butts off for this!”

“Why can’t _you_ just be on the team?” Souda spout back. “If you were with us, we’d blast any ol’ team out of the water!”

“I’ve told you this before!” Asahina put her hands on her hips, leaning over where Souda sat at the pool’s edge. “I’m at the Olympic level! I don’t need to concentrate on small competitions like these.”

“Oh…” Souda muttered, looking away from Asahina with embarrassment.

“It’s alright. I wish you’d actually pay attention to someone when they explain things, though.” Asahina’s frown returned to her usual smile. “Let’s get started with training, then!”

“Yeah!” The team shouted in return, some sounding more enthusiastic than others.

“We’re going to start with some laps!” Nidai shouted at the team. He was the swim club’s coach, as well as the coach for nearly every sports team at Hope’s Peak Academy. At first, the headmaster was afraid that the high-school student would burn himself out from all of the hard work, but Nidai powered through, and was able to keep his numerous positions.

The team of 12 slowly stood up from their spots on the concrete floor.

 “Race you to the diver’s end!” Souda shouted, suddenly energetic. He took a step forward…and straight onto a puddle of water. He slipped. Right onto his back. A loud thud echoed throughout the room, as everyone immediately stopped talking.

“You’re an idiot.” Hinata sighed. He and Komaeda both held their hands out on either side of Souda. Together, they helped Souda back onto his feet.

“You should really be careful around here.” Komaeda advised the shark-toothed mechanic.

“Yeah, yeah.” Souda took a glance at where the others were standing. They turned their heads away immediately, pretending that they hadn’t seen Souda’s slip up just moments before.

“Do you think anyone noticed?”

Hinata followed Souda’s gaze. He could see Koizumi’s face turning a bright shade of red as she giggled. He then looked at Saionji to confirm his thoughts. The short blond was holding her hand in front of her mouth, though her large grin was still visible. Yep, they were totally laughing at Souda.

“Well?” Souda had turned around by then, stuffing some loose strands of his bright pink hair back into his cap.

“Nope. No one saw that. At all.” Hinata tried his best not to break his serious face. He looked back to the rest of his classmates. His eyes met with Akane’s, who grinned and gave a thumbs-up towards him.  

“Ah, I’m glad!” Souda grinned happily, though completely oblivious. He walked forward, leaving Hinata and Komaeda to chuckle slowly behind him.

“It’s amazing, how he doesn’t notice.” Komaeda mused. “Though it’s possible he _did_ realize that everyone saw, and laughing it off is his way of keeping his true embarrassment hidden.”

Hinata blinked. “Thanks for input.”

Komaeda sighed. “At least appreciate it when I open my mouth.” But he smiled anyway, fixing his gaze onto his friend.

“I’m glad you told me that, Komaeda. I really appreciate it when you open your mouth.” Hinata grabbed Komaeda’s wrist and lead him over to the other end of the pool.

“Sounds a little pitchy, dog.”

Hinata froze. “For the love of all that is good in the world, stop that, _please_. We watched the reruns of every episode of _American Idol_ over the last two weeks and now…” He held his head with his right arm. “And now, you’re _quoting the judges_.”

Komaeda giggled. Hinata groaned. They finally found their seats at the other end of the pool, on the first row of bleachers.

“First up, Souda!” Asahina yelled out. She pointed at him, almost accusingly, as he groaned in return.

He stood up slowly, and made his way to the diving board.

“At the sound of the whistle, kick off!” Asahina shouted through a megaphone.

“How many laps, again?” Souda asked.

Nidai shook his head. “Five! Five as in FIDO!  Five! Five laps!”

“Just saying it once would’ve made my ears hurt less, thanks.” Souda muttered to himself, hoping that he spoke quiet enough for it to remain unheard.

Everyone heard.

Before Asahina could do any more scolding, however, the pink-haired boy jumped into the pool, and surfaced beneath the water. His head reappeared a few seconds later. Nidai kept his eyes locked onto a stopwatch.

Hinata and the rest of the team (lead by Sonia) began to chant Souda’s name in a cheer, until he finally made it through the 5 vigorous laps.

“How’d I do?” He asked as he emerged from the pool, swim cap slowly slipping off of his head.

“Better, but please pin your cap or something.” Asahina sighed, pointing to Souda’s head. “We don’t want another incident like last time to happen, especially in front of hundreds of people.

“R-Right!” Souda looked down at the floor, embarrassed from her bringing up the “incident”. All that could be said was that his hair wasn’t pink at all when he lifted his head out of his water in a pool full of chlorine. He made his way back to the bleachers.

“Next is…” Asahina consulted her clipboard. “Hinata!”

Hinata groaned. He honestly wouldn’t have joined this club if he weren’t so desperate to grasp something, _anything_ close to a real talent.

“Good luck!” Asahina whispered as Hinata walked past her. His face immediately brightened. Even through his reluctance, his friends were there to support him. It wasn’t so bad.

“Hajime Hinata, swimming breaststroke!  On your mark!” Nidai stood nearby, whistle held close to his mouth.

Hinata climbed onto a platform and bent down. He breathed deeply. It was here, at the beginning of the series of laps, that he began to worry.

_I could slip at any moment. I could crash into the water without even knowing it. What can I do to recover from that?….Think._

The sound of the whistle pounded into his ear. Hinata kicked off, crashing into the water with a great splash.

The water slamming into his face was enough to wake Hinata up from his negative mindset.

_Now, swim._

Hinata reached his arms out in front of him, and lifted his head up from the water. The sounds of his classmates cheering were suddenly there, as he held his arms out in front of his body. With this action in place, Hinata then spread his arms away from each other, diving under the surface once again.

_Don’t grab the water._

He kicked forward, feeling the water around him shift according to his motions.

He repeated this process of extending, spreading, propelling, and gasping for breath until he reached the end of the pool.

When he reached the end, Hinata sunk back into the water, swiftly turned, and kicked against the wall. He boosted himself up a few feet before returning to his previous routine.

He didn’t expect to be the fastest. And he wasn’t.

He just wanted _something_.

He wanted to prove that he was _good_ at something.

For now, at least.

After a few minutes, it came time for the last stretch until he completed the five laps.

“Go, Hinata!” Sonia shouted. Hinata could imagine her pumping her fists passionately into the air.

Hinata reached his hand out. A final, last resort to touching the wall.

The space closed between his hand and the wall quickly.

_Don’t grab the water!_

A little too quickly, with a little too much force.

“GAH!”

He had stopped moving. He couldn’t move.

_What just happened?_

Hinata looked down at his wrist. It was twisted. Not to his control. He panicked, and shot his head through the water’s surface with a loud gasp.

“MY ARM!”

For some reason, he couldn’t feel anything at the moment. Was the adrenaline still wearing off?

He couldn’t breathe. _He couldn’t breathe._   The air was right around him, but it wasn’t coming in. It was almost like it _refused_ to come in.  

He managed to grasp the edge of the pool, lifting himself out of there with his good arm. He felt the cold, dry floor of the pool again. Hinata flopped onto his back, his left hand covering his injured right that he placed on his chest.

He suddenly heard someone shouting his name, followed by some thundering footsteps.

“Are you alright?”

Hinata’s eyes burned from the chlorine, making it painful to blink. The bright lights of the pool room didn’t help at all.

“Hinata, a-are you alright?” 

He finally recognized the person’s voice. It belonged to Tsumiki, the Super High School Level Nurse and the swim team’s medical staff. Her kind, but worried face appeared in front of him.

“No…” Hinata managed to say, barely managing to focus on her question.

“W-We need a towel…” Tsumiki moved away, so that the ceiling and blinding lights were the only things viewable.  “And s-some ice, too!”

“I have one!” Sonia ran over, looking extremely frightened. Hinata could see her hand the towel to Tsumiki.

“Here’s the ice!” Koizumi said as her voice arrived on the scene.

“Th-thank you both!” Tsumiki said gratefully, and then turned back to Hinata. She held his right arm gently. “Where d-does it hurt?”

Hinata sighed, his breath coming out shakily. “My wrist.”

“I-I see…” Tsumiki traced her finger along his wrist. “I need to m-move it a little. Please t-tell me when it hurts!”

Hinata nodded grimly. Tsumiki proceeded to move his wrist inwards, slowly. No pain.

“Is that o-okay?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Alright, and now for the other direction...”

She bent Hinata’s wrist backwards slightly.

“GAH! _STOP_!” Hinata yanked his arm away reflexively from her. He held it closely, protectively, to his body.  Tears sprung into his eyes.

“I’m s-sorry! I’m r-really, really s-sorry!” Tsumiki yelped.

Hinata bit his lip to keep from screaming. “Sorry…” He said after gaining his composure once again.

“P-Please let me see your arm again! I p-promise I won’t bend it l-like that again!”

Hinata reluctantly extended his arm again towards Tsumiki for the second time.

Tsumiki took a roll of medical tape out of the first-aid kit placed at her side. She slowly began to wrap Hinata’s hand, as well as his wrist with the tape. About 5 minutes later, Hinata could barely move his hand at all.

“P-Please keep this on until w-we make it to the infirmary!” Tsumiki patted the bandaging gently.

Hinata nodded silently.

“Get up, Hinata!” Asahina was quickly approaching.  “We need to get you some medical attention- and fast!” She closed her eyes and sighed. “I can’t believe this, of all times for this to-“

She froze as she kneeled in front of him, right when their eyes met. Hinata could see her blue eyes widening with a mixture of surprise and confusion.

“E-Eh?”

“What?” Hinata asked, his lip beginning to hurt from his persistent biting.

“You’re crying.”

“Eh?”

Hinata reached up and rubbed his eyes.

There was nothing left to say.

* * *

 

**ASAHINA’S CLIPBOARD:**

HOPE’S PEAK ACADEMY’S SWIM TEAM

** SWIMMERS: **

**HAJIME HINATA - breaststroke**

**NAGITO KOMAEDA - freestyle**

**KAZUICHI SOUDA – butterfly**

**KUZURYUU FUYUHIKO - breaststroke**

**GUNDAM TANAKA - backstroke**

**MAKOTO NAEGI (*) – breaststroke**

***UNDERSTUDIES/REPLACEMENTS**

** ADDITIONAL STAFF: **

**AOI ASAHINA – MANAGER**

**NEKOMARU NIDAI – HEAD COACH**

**MAHIRU KOIZUMI – PHOTOGRAPHER**

**MIKAN TSUMIKI – MEDICAL ASSISTANT**

**SONIA NEVERMIND – CHEERLEADER (?)**

**AKANE OWARI – ASSISTANT COACH**


End file.
